Sunday, October 17, 2010

Meat Loaf?

I don't know how to make meatloaf. My method when I don't know how to make a dish is to find a seemingly reasonable recipe, make that, and then use that as a baseline to make my own recipe. Here's what I've learned from meatloaf round two.

1. The more ingredients, the better. Load it up, dry mustard, whatever. Obviously, try to layer the flavors. There is a limit here though, because there is only the one cooking process.
2. Mix the dry ingredients first. Keep the hand mixing of the meats down to discourage toughness from over-handling the meat.
3. Cream. Use it.
4. Make a good gravy.
5. No tomato based product has any business anywhere near your meatloaf, no matter what a recipe calls for. The same with BBQ anything. Leave them out.
6. There must be a million or more meatloaf recipes.
7. The French make their own version of meatloaf which is way over the top, but probably great. At $20.00 a slice.
8. My second generation recipe is pretty good.
9. Everyone loves meatloaf.

Last, if anyone would like to send me two dozen quahogs in a cooler, I would be grateful. I'll replace your cooler.